ROUNDTABLE: Staff predictions for Matt Mitrione vs. Sergei Kharitonov

By Michael Hiscoe, Managing Editor

Who will win Friday’s Bellator main event between Matt Mitrione and Sergei Kharitonov?

Sean Covington, Columnist – Covington’s Corner

Matt Mitrione needs a win to stay relevant, it’s not like he’s a loser or anything but life comes at you fast. A loss here could put Mitrione further down the line for a title shot, even behind newcomers like Jake Hager. With that said I believe because Mitrione knows what a loss means, he will win this fight. Sergei Kharitonov is no slouch and can knock anyone out that you put in front of him. If these two stand and throw hands then it’s anybody’s fight.

Frank Hyden, Columnist – The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

I think Mitrione comes out firing and lays out Kharitonov in the first round. I think one of these guys is going out in the first round and I’m leaning towards Mitrione getting the win. This should be an exciting fight so I hope it delivers. There’s always the potential for this to be slow and boring, but I’m thinking it ends it explosive fashion.

Christian Moore, MMATorch Contributor

So in this fight, I don’t see much. It doesn’t mean much. Obviously, the winner of the Kongo/Minakov will challenge for the belt next, after Bader defends the LH crown against Vadim Nemkov. This fight should be good though, as both are heavy strikers, but I see Sergei Kharitonov knocking out Mitrione in a round or 2. I mean, he KO’d Roy Nelson, and sure Nelson has had better days, but it is still a big feat, so why couldn’t he knock out Mitrione who doesn’t have too strong of a chin?

Gary Meigs, MMATorch Contributor

My prediction for this fight is Matt Mitrione. He has victories over the GOAT Fedor Emelianenko and Derrick Lewis. KO by round two.

Michael Hiscoe, MMATorch Managing Editor

I was impressed by Sergei Kharitonov’s win over Roy Nelson back in October. I was similarly disappointed in Matt Mitrione’s performance against Ryan Bader that same night. So with that in mind, I am naturally leaning towards Kharitonov in this fight. Kharitonov can survive an early rush from Mitrione and go on to win late in the first round, much like he did against Nelson.